9 out of 10.
Pretty good book with very interesting characters. I liked the fact that the bad guy was a Mandalorian. My favorite clone was definitely Fi. He reminded me a lot of Wes Janson. This wasn't your typical Star Wars novel though. Very different but in a good way. The only major complaint I have is that I got a headache from reading the whole thing in a couple of hours.

In a rather ironic moment, Hard Contact is so far the Clone Wars novel that best exemplifies the common conception of the Wars--but it doesn't have the logo on the cover. As befits a novel based on a first-person shooter, Karen Traviss's Hard Contact is not a novel about sitting around and talking, as others have been. Much as MedStar was "a day in the strife" for the non-combatants in the war, Hard Contact does the same for another neglected group: the clones themselves. (Perhaps this is why the earlier novels have seemed peripheral, plotwise: for all their seeming importance, the Jedi don't seem to do much in the war.)

Hard Contact is a showcase for Traviss's abilities. Her worldbuilding talents were used to create the environment of Qiilura, with its new flora and fauna that play a non-trivial role in the story. The background of the commandoes--of the clones in general--is also essentially produced from whole cloth, and manages to be distinctly, though not overtly, Imperial. She also managed to create distinct characters among the commandoes--and provide justification for it, something not really seen before. None of the four come across as cardboard. Another point worth mentioning is the sense of humor--Traviss doesn't go overboard with it, but the clones offer us some of the best quips since the Wraiths.

The same can be said of the other characters, as well. Unlike other recent novels, the "villain" is a complex character in his own right, as are the other antagonists. Traviss does a good job of showing the breadth of the Separatist movement. Some of the minor characters (read: the two-scene cannon fodder) are a bit flat, but there's really not much opportunity to avoid that, either.

All in all, Hard Contact is an excellent read, being what many were expecting from the Clone Wars. Don't be fooled by the ties to a video game; Hard Contact is the best SW novel since Shatterpoint (and perhaps earlier, depending on what you're looking for). We're lucky to have Karen Traviss writing Star Wars.

I was worried when I picked this book up that I'd overhyped it in my mind. I'd only read one other book by Karen, and while I'd liked it quite a bit, I was wondering if perhaps I wasn't looking forward to RC a bit too much. I needn't have worried.

I think I mentioned in my review of the first MedStar that one of the things I liked about it was the Wraith Squadron vibe from the assortment of eclectic, non-movie characters. Similarly, I get a great X-Wing feeling in RC, not only with the non-movie, imperfect characters, but also the whole military side, the impossible mission, impossible odds stuff.

The action and introspection were well-balanced; the violent scenes in CITY OF PEARL I thought were some of the weaker scenes in the novel, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much better and more clearly the violence was handled here. The book was a quick read, but a lot more thoughtful than any other Clone War novel so far besides maybe Shatterpoint. The portrayal of the Clones themselves is far superior to that in Cestus Deception.

It seems wrong that one of the finer Clone Wars novels will probably sell fewer copies thanks to the fact that it's marketed as a video-game tie-in with no movie characters.

I may elaborate later but right now I've got to go to bed, So I'll just say that this is by far the best Star Wars novel I've read since Shatterpoint.

My alter ego (jedimasterED) finished last night and here's what he had to say:

"Karen did a great job!

While she did bring in new information about the Mandalorians that will take some working through, what she also did was create interesting characters, write well-paced action, and make me care about the outcome of the story.

Yeah, there were a few little nuisances here and there, but for the most part, RC:HC was the best Clone Wars novel I've read next to Shatterpoint, and I've read them all (actually working through Jedi Trial right now, and it pales in comparison).

I give it a 9 just because a 10 really has to know my socks off and I don't feel like working with decimals or fractions today.

A SPECIAL NOTE TO THE AUTHOR:
Karen,

You are a great addition to the Saga and I hope you get more chances to write in the GFFA. I genuinely desire to read about the further adventures of Etain, Darman, and the rest. Well done!"

Exceptional. The CW project keeps on going, and the 4 released PPBs are all quite good.

It's well written, in a style that I like. The epigrams (quotes at beginning of the chapters), add to the flavor, and we get inside the head of a clone. The plot flowed well, the characters were interesting and well developed, and we continue to see some of the lines blur between the good guys and bad guys. The book seemed well researched, and just like MedStar II, I was scared that one of the characters was going to die. DR and Karen Traviss did their job well on this one.

Bravo, Ms. Traviss. Your first book in a GFFA was nothing short of fantastic, and I'm looking forward to the post-NJO series, which should prove to be quite good.

My rating: It would have been a 10, but it loses .1 for being short and gains .05 for being a paperback.